Frank-Walter Steinmeier is headed to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Turkey to discuss Syria and Gaza. Berlin's reputation in the region has suffered as a result of its steadfast support for Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza.

Syria’s interim president has made his first trip abroad, traveling to Saudi Arabia in a move likely trying to signal Damascus’ shift away from Iran as its main regional ally.

Sharaa assumed power as transitional president last week, after leading a rebel campaign that ousted longtime Iran-backed leader Bashar al-Assad, whose ties with the rest of the Arab world were strained throughout the nearly 14-year Syrian war.